The Sexual Assault Treatment Unit at the Rotunda Hospital has been honoured for its new approach to forensic examinations.
They were announced as the Nursing & Midwifery Project of the Year Award at the Irish Healthcare Awards.
Nurse Catherine Marsh, Spark Innovation Fellow, works the frontline as an on-call forensic nurse Examiner. She and her colleagues are often the first professionals to care for patients who are victims of sexual assault.
“As you will appreciate, it’s both a traumatic and invasive experience for patients who find themselves at the HSE Sexual Assault Treatment Unit at Rotunda,” says Catherine.
Last week Catherine, along with her colleagues in the Rotunda SATU were awarded the Nursing & Midwifery Project of the Year at the 2024 Irish Healthcare Awards which is supported by the HSE Spark Programme.
Their recognition came on the back of developing a new process to reduce the number of professionals, examinations, and visits for victims of sexual assault. This facility sees 42% of all sexual aside victims nationally.
Judges praise
“This initiative represents a significant advancement for Ireland, introducing forensic photographic documentation within the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit setting. It effectively reduces the stress of what is often a traumatic experience for patients, eliminating the need for them to attend a Garda station for photographs. This approach highlights the importance of patient-centred care and reflects a commitment to improving the overall experience for those seeking support. We have implemented a new and innovative initiative to address the identified needs of people who attend the SATU following a sexual assault.”
Transforming care with technology
The project was funded through the HSE Spark Innovation Programme which supports, promotes, and recognises innovation amongst healthcare staff within the HSE. Congratulating the team, Caitriona Heffernan, HSE Innovation Lead for the Spark Innovation Programme described the project as ‘transformative for patients’.
“We are honoured to have played a small role in securing the implementation of this important service for people who have experienced sexual assault. We have learned so much from the team involved in the project about the importance of providing appropriate, timely and compassionate support to people when they have experienced such a traumatic event. We are thrilled for the whole project team that their hard work and dedication has been recognised through a national award.”
To date, body injury photographs are taken by members of An Garda Síochána for a person who reports a sexual assault in Ireland.
Since early summer 2024, the HSE SATU at Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, has piloted forensic photography by two core Forensic Nurse Examiners.
This project integrates photography within the SATU to reduce patient stress, give control to patients following a traumatic event, reduce visit length and provide trauma-informed care.
Catherine says, “By minimising interactions with external agencies, the service enhances patient care and streamlines evidence collection.
“The timely gathering of forensic evidence plays a crucial role in advancing investigations of sexual violence.”
The benefits for victims are significant
- Enhance Patient Experience: By offering forensic photography directly within the SATU, we aim to reduce the number of agencies and individuals patients must interact with during a traumatic time. This integration is expected to decrease stress and improve the overall patient experience.
- Reduce Visit Duration: By streamlining the forensic examination process and including photography within the SATU service, we anticipate a reduction in the time patients spend at the unit, improving the efficiency of care.
- Improve Evidence Collection: Ensuring that forensic photography occurs in a timely and accurate manner within a healthcare setting is critical. This objective is focused on enhancing the quality of evidence collected, which can lead to more effective legal investigations and potentially increase the rate of successful prosecutions.
Technology supporting patient care
To pursue the pilot, the team collaborated with a U.S.-based company specialising in forensic photography systems.
This company is recognised for distributing purpose-built forensic photography equipment, with features such as voice control, foot pedal, ALS lighting to detect body fluids, and bruising that may not be visible to the naked eye.
They provided SATU with a specialised system on loan for the duration of the pilot, ensuring that the technology used was both secure and tailored specifically for forensic purposes.
Catherine says it allowed them to “implement the introduction of Photography by forensic Nurse Examiners while assessing the system’s integration into the healthcare environment.”
Scaling the pilot
SATU clinicians received training in forensic photography and use of the equipment, with the development of standardised protocols to ensure consistency and quality in evidence collection.
Meanwhile, the forensic photography system Cortexflo from Fernico is portable, secure, and user-friendly, which allows SATU staff to operate it efficiently without causing disruption to patient care. The equipment is designed to minimise the need for external involvement from An Garda Síochána thereby streamlining the examination process.
Success driven by a desire to improve victim experience
The pilot project is due to be completed in the coming months, initial findings suggest it has been a success.
- Reduced Patient Stress: Feedback indicated that patients appreciated the reduction in the number of external agencies involved in their care. This led to a more compassionate and less stressful experience.
- Increased Efficiency: The SATU staff were able to complete the forensic examination with minimal delay, reducing the logistical challenges of coordinating with An Garda Síochána scenes of crime photographers.
- Data Collection: Quantitative and qualitative data from patient interactions from June 2024 to date will provide a robust foundation for evaluating the efficacy of this service integration. Early analysis shows a positive trend toward meeting the primary objectives of reducing visit times and patient stress.
The future
The aim is to roll out this process and the system to all forensic examiners in the Rotunda SATU first, then to the other five adult units nationally.
About the team
This project is nurse-led by Catherine Marsh (Spark Innovation Fellow) who also works as an on-call Forensic Nurse Examiner, Deirdra Richardson Forensic Nurse Examiner, and Christine Pucillo Forensic Nurse Examiner, Professor Maeve Eogan Clinical lead SATU Nationally and Dr Nicola Maher, Clinical lead Rotunda. As part of the HSE Spark Programme, design support came from Mark Mc Donagh to create posters for patient awareness in the unit of the pilot project.